Dear Sir,
In Iain Clement’s letter (June en) concerning the need for open air preachers to be gracious (with which I agree entirely ) he also states: ‘It is important that those who feel called to this work are gifted, … and, importantly, are sent by and under the authority of a local church.’
In an ideal world this should be the case, but the evangelical church has, I believe, failed to fulfil the demands he sets forth.
When I retired, the Lord gave me a desire to preach outside and so reach the lost with the gospel. I had no previous experience of open air work and didn’t know of any church or believer who engaged in this type of ministry. However I did have a lifetime’s experience of Christian service and I trusted in the Lord.
However, there have been a number of discouragements over the years from the leadership of local evangelical churches.
I had occasion to attend a conference for local church leaders where most of the 300+ elders and deacons in attendance responded in laughter when the main speaker referred to open air preachers as ‘idiots’.
In my previous church the leadership refused to support the open air work I and a number of other members were engaged in, in the nearby town, because ‘it wasn’t on our patch’.
The response from some ministers in the local evangelical fraternal is to pass by on the other side. Open air work is a great privilege but one I would not be engaged in if the Lord left it to his church.
Yours faithfully,
